LIFE

Rafael Dupré is originally from Belgium and has resided in the United Kingdom since 2011. He currently divides his professional practice between private clinics in London and Bali. With over 20 years of experience in the broader mental health field, he has developed a comprehensive and nuanced approach to supporting diverse populations. In the early stages of his career, he specialised in working with young people, both individually and within family systems, addressing issues such as social exclusion, relationship difficulties, attachment challenges, and the impacts of addiction or abuse. During this period, he developed a strong interest in solution-focused therapy, including the Bruges Model, as an effective means of facilitating change—supporting clients not only in gaining insight but also in acquiring practical tools to implement lasting change. Currently, his practice is equally divided between working with individuals—both adults and young people—and couples from a wide range of backgrounds, offering tailored therapy for diverse emotional and psychological concerns. He also works extensively with adolescents aged 15 and above, as well as young adults. In addition, he provides support to clients diagnosed with cancer, recognising the profound emotional challenges associated with such a diagnosis. He offers compassionate support to individuals and their loved ones as they navigate these difficult circumstances. End-of-life counselling may also form part of his work, addressing the emotional and existential concerns that can arise. Trauma release and therapeutic dialogue are used to help create a more supportive environment for healing, contributing to overall well-being and recovery.

Xandra Kike Spence works integratively, drawing on person-centred, psychodynamic, and cognitive behavioural (CBT) approaches rather than following a one-size-fits-all model. She adapts her work to suit each individual client, offering a collaborative space to explore experiences and make sense of what is happening in the present or the past. Xandra has experience working with adults both face-to-face and online, including individuals in community settings and those in high-pressure work environments. She often supports clients who feel overwhelmed by stress, uncertainty, shame, or questions around identity. Her experience includes working with grief and loss, low mood, trauma, self-esteem, relationship difficulties, and risk. Her wider professional background also provides her with a strong understanding of responsibility, performance pressure, and resilience. She welcomes working with people from all backgrounds and identities and strives to offer a space that is respectful, inclusive, and culturally sensitive. This includes, but is not limited to, people of different races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, relationship structures, and family backgrounds. Xandra recognises how social context, power, and lived experience can shape mental health and welcomes conversations about identity when they feel important to the client. Xandra works ethically and reflectively in line with the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework. She receives regular clinical supervision and holds professional indemnity insurance and up-to-date enhanced DBS certificates.

Ellen Waldren is an integrative psychotherapist with over 16 years of professional experience, including work within a major cancer charity and the criminal justice system. She specialises in working with anxiety, which may present as constant worry, panic attacks, overthinking, perfectionism, social anxiety, or a persistent sense of feeling overwhelmed and on edge. Many of the people Ellen works with appear high-functioning externally while feeling tense, exhausted, or stuck internally. Her approach is grounded in the belief that anxiety is not a sign that something is “wrong”, but rather reflects how the mind and nervous system have learned to protect someone—often in ways that were once helpful but are no longer serving them. Therapy offers a space to understand these patterns and develop a more supportive relationship with oneself. Ellen works integratively, drawing on evidence-based approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness and somatic techniques, attachment-based work, psychodynamic insight, and compassion-focused therapy. This allows her to address both the symptoms of anxiety and the deeper patterns beneath them, including core beliefs, relational experiences, and nervous system responses. In her work with clients, Ellen explores how anxiety shows up across thoughts, emotions, the body, and relationships. She supports clients in identifying habits anxiety can create—such as avoidance, self-criticism, or people-pleasing—and gradually developing new, more grounding and empowering ways of responding. Somatic approaches are often part of this work, helping clients notice and regulate how anxiety is held in the body through breath, grounding, and nervous system awareness. Her therapeutic style is warm, collaborative, and down-to-earth. Ellen aims to create a space where clients do not need to have everything figured out before beginning therapy. She works at a pace that feels right for each individual, checking in regularly and adapting the work as needs evolve. Ellen’s goal is not to eliminate anxiety, but to help clients relate to it differently—so it no longer dominates their lives and they feel more connected to themselves, their values, and the life they want to live. In addition to her clinical work, Ellen also provides supervision and group supervision for students and practising counsellors.